The Third Wheel

Chapter 24

Warning! Some of the scenes ahead could disturb some. If you are easily disturbed, proceed with caution.
••••
Chapter 24
••••
She betrayed us.
••••
I put a hand on the locker next to Maya's as she spun her combination. She was frantic because she had just turned in a risky art project. I thought it was great, but she wanted her teacher to interpret it the right way. That's all I knew. She tried three times until she finally got it open.

Only to see a toy rat hanging from the door. She screamed immediately jumping away, until she realized it was fake. I squint at it, and see a note stuck there as well.

Why would a rich boy like him go for a poor girl like you? Obviously just dating you for your looks you stupid slut.

She tries to grab it from me, but I turn away from her as I look at the writing. Whose writing could it be?

My mind flashed to a picture of Sophia writing her name on her paper. The bubbly script, that's it! It's her! But why?
••••
There she stood, arms crossed, leaning against the lamppost. I hold the post it from this morning to her.

"Was this you?" I ask as I walk towards her. Her brown hair flies in the wind, and her feet scruff on the icy patches.

"So what if it was, Minkus?" I was shocked by her tone with me. It was very different from the happy, silly tone she would use just a few days ago when she was playfully teasing me. Her eyebrows crease as she looked the other direction, towards the wind.

"You're hurting Maya." I scold standing my ground in front of her. I wanted to make sure that she knew that she couldn't hurt me.

"Does it look like I care?" Her frosty blue orbs squint at me, and I could feel her burning through me. But, nevertheless I stood.

"You'll, pay for this Petrov." I begin to walk away.

"Don't you threaten me!" She yells, "I'm suppose to be threatening you!" She grabs my shoulder, but a hand pulls her off.

"What the hell are you doing Sophia?" I heard my tone in a feminine voice. Could only mean one thing. I turned to see Riley grabbing Sophia's hand. "Don't hurt Farkle." She grits. And then I heard her say something along the lines of "...not his fault," as I proceeded to walk away.

We eventually ended up in the Subway station, and as I looked behind me, I could see George rubbing Riley's arms as she held his jacket over herself. I looked even further back to see Sophia shaking in Aaron's arms, I couldn't tell if she was angry or sad.

"What's going on with her?" I ask rhetorically, and Maya nodded in agreement.

Richard answered anyways, "She has Borderline Personality disorder."

"What's that?" I hear Maya softly ask as we got on the subway.

"It's a personality disorder, where your emotions get out of hand, and you act on impulses." He continues to explain to her, and as he grabbed onto the pole he concluded, "It's like Bipolar, but worse."

"So much worse." Riley added as she sat next to Maya.

"She was fine a few days ago." Maya whispers crossing her legs. Riley shakes her legs on the whole ride home.
••••
"It's Friday." Mom tells us as Riley and I walk through the door.

"Finally." Riley whispers to herself as she walks upstairs. "I think I might take a nap." Riley declares as she walks upstairs.

"Mom, can I hang out at Maya's for a bit?"

"Oh, but honey, I just got home, and I could really use a little bit of help. But first, could you check on your cousin? She's been rather quiet after she came over."

"Okay."  I nod, and then proceed to walk up the stairs.

••••
Riley's POV
The window that she crawled through was still open, which was good because it could give her some fresh air. She continually bangs her head on my desk as she sat in my chair.

"Sophia." I call. She doesn't stop. "Sophia!" This time I grab her head to stop her. I knew what she was doing was a form of self harm, as I have done it before myself. But at least I was getting better.

"I don't know what to do Riley! Farkle hates me. Maya hates me. Everyone hates me. You're the only one I can turn to."

"Now, I'm sure they don't hate you-"

"Of course they hate me, Riley! Have you seen what I've done?! Oh my god, why did I do it." She began pacing around the room. "I was just so angry, and scared, and I just wanted it to stop, I just wanted it to stop." She began crying, and I went to comfort her. "I should have told Farkle what Ash was doing. Instead of yelling at him the way I did. God why did I do it... Why did I do it!" She grits through her teeth, and I sit her on my bed.

The door swings open, and Farkle stands there with his piercing blue eyes staring right through me. "You stupid bitch. Didn't you hear me calling for you? Couldn't you tell something was wrong?" His voice cracks and shakes as if he had been crying. I don't think he had noticed Sophia there, which is reasonable because she was hiding behind my sweater. "You're so lost in your own little world. Get the fuck out here. GET OUT HERE NOW!" Josh comes behind him with worried eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea, your sister doesn't respond well to these sort of things." I had walked over to the door.

"Bullshit." Farkle says not removing his eyes from me. "If I witnessed it, so will she." He grabs my hand aggressively pulling me towards the direction of Charlisa's room. Mom was already in there, crying her eyes out. There she laid lifeless on the ground, with a pile of white foam right next to her mouth, and an empty bottle of antidepressants fallen out of her grasp.

"She actually did it." I breath. "She actually killed herself. Charlisa's dead. She really is dead." I cried as I ran to my room. But when I opened the door, my room was empty. I called for Sophia, but she was already gone. I went to the window to look for her, and didn't have any luck in doing so. I fell to the floor, and cried.
••••
She finally did it. After all those years of the hell she went through she finally put an end to it. I couldn't explain in words how much I loved her. She was one of the only people that understood me, and now she was gone. Forever. I was so distraught after that, and that caused me to lose complete control over my mind, my actions, and it all came back to kick me in the butt.

Author's note
When I started this I didn't think I would talk about suicide. But it is essential for the plot. I'm sorry for anyone who was disturbed. I am also easily disturbed. Thank you for reading.